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the fiscal cliff could be a big deal for sure. but what could trump the fiscal cliff, study this. it's the need to get out of your mother-in-law's house. get your own home. intuitive concept for those, when you think about it. we got to break here as toll brothers actually down on the news today because the market's so darn tough. i expect downgrades tomorrow from people who don't believe things can stay this strong and that could be your strong to be analysts who always downgrade ar the report. here's the bottom line. we need hope to be vanquished. we need it spindled, mutilated. chex out the holders, thinking it's imminent and leave the room and then return to what i've been tracing and huge cycles of pent-up demand. buy them on the way down. never on the way up. you can take your time. do not leave this market wholesale. who the heck knows when and from what level you can get back in. why don't we go to tom in new york. tom? >> caller: hi, jim. could this offset same-store sales and make it a buy? >> i think it moved already. one of those stocks that moves in gigantic gobs, to
the fiscal cliff could be a big deal for sure. but what could trump the fiscal cliff, study this. it's the need to get out of your mother-in-law's house. get your own home. intuitive concept for those, when you think about it. we got to break here as toll brothers actually down on the news today because the market's so darn tough. i expect downgrades tomorrow from people who don't believe things can stay this strong and that could be your strong to be analysts who always downgrade ar the...
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Dec 11, 2012
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optimism there will be a deal on the fiscal cliff. you have optimism that the recapitalization of the banks is going to be delayed by another year according to the bank of italy. and you have optimism as well on mar of election promises as we now face the pros wekt of a much earlier election in italy. to that end it is fascinating. sylvia berlusconi has come out today warning about the germano center of politics. in other words, too much of a focus on what is happening from germany and the austerity inspired by angela merkel. in particular, he is drawing attention to this. which is the spread of the extra that investors demand to hold italian bonds over german bonds. i've shown this to you a couple times. over the last year it's been a mainstay of a lot of the italian business broadcasts internally. they say our bonds are currently trading so many basis points above the germans on their hourly bulletins. that was one of the reasons why at the height of it berlusconi was kicked out of power. he's saying now this is a total calm. italia
optimism there will be a deal on the fiscal cliff. you have optimism that the recapitalization of the banks is going to be delayed by another year according to the bank of italy. and you have optimism as well on mar of election promises as we now face the pros wekt of a much earlier election in italy. to that end it is fascinating. sylvia berlusconi has come out today warning about the germano center of politics. in other words, too much of a focus on what is happening from germany and the...
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Dec 10, 2012
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better than expected retailers, in the end when it come to the fiscal cliff, to the longer we delay a deal or can't do a deal at all, it's worse for all the shareholders and the investors and the stock market. yes, a deal that does nothing, it simply keeps taxes where they are right now and doesn't cut entitlements, that's what everybody wants. does matter, believe he, i mean what's going to happen if we do nothing except keep things exacthe they are now, and just vote to undo the cliff. they'll downgrade the u.s. debt. but that's it. by the way, we have already proven through nine ways of sunday that -- when our credit rating got downgraded last summer. well, bonds went up in price and down in-year-old. -- in yield. so why not do nothing? why doesn't the president say we're just going to keep bonds the way they are. and we're not going to cut entitlements because we know if we don't cut taxes, the republicans will go along with their no tax pledge and the markets will go higher and no one will care, for now. but he told us that's not going to happen, and he got re-elected. what does
better than expected retailers, in the end when it come to the fiscal cliff, to the longer we delay a deal or can't do a deal at all, it's worse for all the shareholders and the investors and the stock market. yes, a deal that does nothing, it simply keeps taxes where they are right now and doesn't cut entitlements, that's what everybody wants. does matter, believe he, i mean what's going to happen if we do nothing except keep things exacthe they are now, and just vote to undo the cliff....
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Dec 13, 2012
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to avoid the fiscal cliff. although i did hear quite encouraging some of the guys were saying no vacation without legislation. they're getting that part of the game plan. after a week's worth of rally in part driven by hopes that a deal could be made, who can blame people for taking profits when the fed chief takes action, spurred in part because the man who invented the fiscal cliff seems to think the odds are high here we're going over it. there's always a constituency disappointed at any bold action. we heard the fed's actions were reckless, feckless, irresponsible. other concerns that things might be far worse than we think. the fed has given up on any chance that our leaders will rise above this morass. i think bernanke is the only grownup in the whole town. he wants to get a deal to balance the budget longer term in order to get the economy going now. you know he can't do anything to get a deal himself. so he's giving us the best alternative he's got out there to the ridiculous partisanship and inability
to avoid the fiscal cliff. although i did hear quite encouraging some of the guys were saying no vacation without legislation. they're getting that part of the game plan. after a week's worth of rally in part driven by hopes that a deal could be made, who can blame people for taking profits when the fed chief takes action, spurred in part because the man who invented the fiscal cliff seems to think the odds are high here we're going over it. there's always a constituency disappointed at any...
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Dec 13, 2012
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sandy, fiscal cliff, still humming, but we have more confirmation that it's for real and urban is getting its deal. it's also anthropologie, which does a lot of house wares. i want to focus on one that's definitely not getting the credit it deserves right now. near-term jitters, i'm talking about the amazing turn around in gap i know, no accounting for taste. the stock has sold off recently and viciously. $35 to the end of november, to $31 and change right now. and the pullback, a pause that refreshes. a great opportunity to buy the gap on weakness. you haven't had many chances to do that of late. this has been incredible. even with the recent decline, gap is still rallied, an astounding 70% year-to-date. those mammoth gains tell me that that has been fiscal cliff related as people go to their tax adviser and realize -- you know what? or get the register ringing. part of the selling in gap is a lot of people taking profits at the same time. something that will end when capital gains rates go up in a couple of weeks. and i was formulating in my own head, that once we get the higher tax rat
sandy, fiscal cliff, still humming, but we have more confirmation that it's for real and urban is getting its deal. it's also anthropologie, which does a lot of house wares. i want to focus on one that's definitely not getting the credit it deserves right now. near-term jitters, i'm talking about the amazing turn around in gap i know, no accounting for taste. the stock has sold off recently and viciously. $35 to the end of november, to $31 and change right now. and the pullback, a pause that...
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Dec 9, 2012
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first, though, with just over three weeks left to reach a deal on the fiscal cliff. lawmakers from both sides hit the sunday shows to late out the latest battle lines in the fight. on "meet the press," the number three house republican reiterated that any new revenues should come from closing loopholes, not raising tax rates. >> the president wants the rates to go up, that doesn't solve the problem. if the president is asking for higher rates, he's asking for more revenue. most economists agree the best way to get that is through closing special loopholes. >> on the same program, number two senate democrat, dick durbin declared that if the country does go over the fiscal cliff, there's only one party to blame -- republicans. >> i can tell you i don't want to do it, the president doesn't want to do it but we need to solve the problem, we cannot allow the reckless position to drive this economy into another recession. a recession which the republicans will own. >> joining me from the white house, nbc's mike viquiera. mike, it sounds like the same old-same old. any new
first, though, with just over three weeks left to reach a deal on the fiscal cliff. lawmakers from both sides hit the sunday shows to late out the latest battle lines in the fight. on "meet the press," the number three house republican reiterated that any new revenues should come from closing loopholes, not raising tax rates. >> the president wants the rates to go up, that doesn't solve the problem. if the president is asking for higher rates, he's asking for more revenue. most...
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Dec 12, 2012
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all coming up on "mad money." >>> everybody is fretting about the fiscal cliff. until we get a deal. i got more negative when harry reid said it is unlikely that a deal will be done by christmas. i'm thrilled to have senator john hovan, a republican from north dakota who has been an advocate for bipartisan consensus here with us tonight. welcome back to "mad money." >> jim, good to be with you. >> i noticed that you are for a bipartisan situation and one of the things that tells me you are for real is that you have not signed a pledge that would make it so that you can't vote for a tax increase. it should be a big deal on the order of four trillion dollars over ten years. that's what we need to get growth in our economy and the kind of deal that includes tax reform, entitlement reform and better spending control. >> when you were governor of your state you presided over what i think is the single greatest employment boom we've seen. is washington so different that you wish you were back home? >> you have been out to north dakota, you're invited back, but you are
all coming up on "mad money." >>> everybody is fretting about the fiscal cliff. until we get a deal. i got more negative when harry reid said it is unlikely that a deal will be done by christmas. i'm thrilled to have senator john hovan, a republican from north dakota who has been an advocate for bipartisan consensus here with us tonight. welcome back to "mad money." >> jim, good to be with you. >> i noticed that you are for a bipartisan situation and one...
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Dec 7, 2012
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it's coming under pressure as part of a broader fiscal cliff deal. there's an article on the front page of today's "wall street journal" that highlights other ways people are trying to take advantage of the certainty over the final few weeks of 2012. some of the examples they cite are people said to be accelerating large medical expenses for this year and selling appreciated stock in some cases even prepaying their mortgages so they can make sure they get the mortgage interest deduction. and, bob, you think -- for a lot of people that won't matter? >> you have the amt. so if you take excessive deductions, they just disappear. which is one of the things about all of this about limiting these deductions which is kind of silly because the amt does it in the aggregate. and of course the amt is grabbing more and more people and it's one of the things they want to reform, but if they reform it, they have to raise taxes someplace else. so it's confusing. >> but that's the worst part of it, a simpler tax code that someone could actually understand and now ho
it's coming under pressure as part of a broader fiscal cliff deal. there's an article on the front page of today's "wall street journal" that highlights other ways people are trying to take advantage of the certainty over the final few weeks of 2012. some of the examples they cite are people said to be accelerating large medical expenses for this year and selling appreciated stock in some cases even prepaying their mortgages so they can make sure they get the mortgage interest...
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Dec 6, 2012
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as soon as the holidays end, we're most likely going to go over the fiscal cliff. something that could crush the consumer. all of which means it's a very confusing moment. we want to stick with best of breed that can come bouncing back whenever our leaders reach a deal. companies like ascena retail group, asna. formally known as dress barn. we've been fans because they have a terrific model. own multiple niche brands, maurice's for 20-something women, dress barn, appeals to a more middle aged woman, and charming shops, giving them two successful plus-sized chains. i believe in this deal because they have a record of making transitions work. the stock got slammed today, falling 4.3%, they delivered a four-cent earnings beat, revenues were in line, but still rose 48% year-over-year. and they reaffirmed their guidance for 2013, numbers slightly less than what some on wall street were expecting. what happened here, i think, is the stock ran 35% for the year. expectations got to elevated for some, well, they say they were disappointed. let's talk to the president and ce
as soon as the holidays end, we're most likely going to go over the fiscal cliff. something that could crush the consumer. all of which means it's a very confusing moment. we want to stick with best of breed that can come bouncing back whenever our leaders reach a deal. companies like ascena retail group, asna. formally known as dress barn. we've been fans because they have a terrific model. own multiple niche brands, maurice's for 20-something women, dress barn, appeals to a more middle aged...
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my feeling is with the fiscal cliff looming to the point where it's now mainstream that your take-home pay is going to be reduced by a shocking amount in one month if there's no deal. things ain't getting better. which is why this lulu lemmon number yesterday was astounding. it's so astounding. we have to go through the usual rigamarole to see it, though. first they had a spectacular 18% comparable same-store sales gain. the stores last year, they beat them by 18%. the best i've seen from any company that has hit my eyes in the last three months. by the way, that's coupled with some terrific gross margins. it looked like it was enough to send the stock to the low 70s instantly from the high 60s before it reported. but the downbeat high single-digit comp store projections, mentioned later in the earnings release, stopped the elf in its tracks, reversed it, and the stock dropped to the mid 60s almost instantly, again, all before the market was open. and there it lay until the conference call began. on that call you realized very quickly five things about lulu that no other company has. f
my feeling is with the fiscal cliff looming to the point where it's now mainstream that your take-home pay is going to be reduced by a shocking amount in one month if there's no deal. things ain't getting better. which is why this lulu lemmon number yesterday was astounding. it's so astounding. we have to go through the usual rigamarole to see it, though. first they had a spectacular 18% comparable same-store sales gain. the stores last year, they beat them by 18%. the best i've seen from any...
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Dec 11, 2012
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i hope this mini rally is happening because people have looked over the fiscal cliff and weren't terrified by what they saw. i hope they don't mind government intervention. because they are not going away. i hope that because what i heard in washington today were two sides even though i can tell them that a deal would be done and there would be no vacation without legislation, we'd be in much better shape. i have to tell you, the situation in washington is as discouraging. one after another i started with a too tack. i said let's go there. i said i totally agree the issue of spending not revenues. tell us what you have done to get spending done. did they give you the fellow traveler ideas? no. they attacked the president. each time when i asked for ideas on what to cut. like right now. like every other country in the north does, like pulling back on positions from our army. i got the same response. it is the president's fault. i might have well have been a mannequin. they he want to talk about raising taxes of the rich. but it can't be dismissed as part of the mosaic that will get the gove
i hope this mini rally is happening because people have looked over the fiscal cliff and weren't terrified by what they saw. i hope they don't mind government intervention. because they are not going away. i hope that because what i heard in washington today were two sides even though i can tell them that a deal would be done and there would be no vacation without legislation, we'd be in much better shape. i have to tell you, the situation in washington is as discouraging. one after another i...
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when we come back, deal making in a post-fiscal cliff world. faber has an exclusive interview with the ceo of investment bank moelis and company. more in just a moment. >> announcer: the holiday season is here and that means lots and lots of photos with a certain someone. now you can display it in style with a picture frame signed by the entire "squawk on the street" gang. if you can guess friday's nonfarm jobs number it's all yours. tweet your guess and don't forget hash tag nail the number. you have to be at least 18 years of age to enter. sorry, kid. for all of the official rules and details, go to cnbc.com. you have until 8:29 a.m. eastern this friday morning. good luck and say cheese. melons!!! oh yeah!! well that was uncalled for. folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. how happy, ronny? happier than gallagher at a farmers' market. get happy. get geico. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. ♪ you can stay in and like something..
when we come back, deal making in a post-fiscal cliff world. faber has an exclusive interview with the ceo of investment bank moelis and company. more in just a moment. >> announcer: the holiday season is here and that means lots and lots of photos with a certain someone. now you can display it in style with a picture frame signed by the entire "squawk on the street" gang. if you can guess friday's nonfarm jobs number it's all yours. tweet your guess and don't forget hash tag...
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Dec 11, 2012
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on the fiscal cliff. good morning again, everybody. i'm becky quick. here is what we know right now. the pace of private talks picking up speed as we now have just 20 days left. however, neither the white house nor house speaker boehner's office are giving any public indication that either side is yet prepared to give up real ground. on a road trip yesterday, president obama indicated that he is willing to compromise, just not on that point about an increase in tax for relthy americans. meantime, speaker boehner says he is still waiting on specific spending cuts. joining us now for analysis, tony fratto, of hamilton place strategies and former white house press secretary and gerald bernstein former economic adviser to vice president joe biden. gentlemen, thank you for being here with us and getting this special day of coverage kicked off for us. >> rising early and rising above. >> exactly. let's talk about this. jared, it seems like things have gotten quieter. do you think that's the case? is that a good
on the fiscal cliff. good morning again, everybody. i'm becky quick. here is what we know right now. the pace of private talks picking up speed as we now have just 20 days left. however, neither the white house nor house speaker boehner's office are giving any public indication that either side is yet prepared to give up real ground. on a road trip yesterday, president obama indicated that he is willing to compromise, just not on that point about an increase in tax for relthy americans....
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he doesn't say maybe if we can't get a deal together, maybe we'd be okay with the fiscal cliff. he says that is the best deal for everyone, the best deal for progressives, just to do it. to go back to the clinton era rates. you get rid of three quarters of the deficit just on tax increases at that point. >> and he says you get defense cuts. >> you can't get defense cuts any other way. and he's not the only one. there's a lot of people on the left and there's quite a few people on the right. i'm glad you're optimistic and a lot of ceos and guys in your position -- if you run a company, you don't need consumers petrified and business people petrified. this is the last thing we need if you run a company. i understand you have a horse in the game. >> but you also have the double trigger. if you go over the cliff, we've got the debt ceiling fight right afterwards. it's not like that's six months down the line. that's in if first month, six weeks of the new year. >> the other thing, depending on where you stand, the idea that we just get rid of congressional approval of the debt ceili
he doesn't say maybe if we can't get a deal together, maybe we'd be okay with the fiscal cliff. he says that is the best deal for everyone, the best deal for progressives, just to do it. to go back to the clinton era rates. you get rid of three quarters of the deficit just on tax increases at that point. >> and he says you get defense cuts. >> you can't get defense cuts any other way. and he's not the only one. there's a lot of people on the left and there's quite a few people on...
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cliff and how they'll do their part to rise above partisan politics and reach a deal. now, there are some bowles comments. 40%, yeah, but the odds are much better. they're still 35% chance it will not happen. it's not exactly confidence building. >> not necessarily confidence building. always interesting to me how people can put percentage chances on anything like this. seeing how difficult it is and how the story changes to a certain steextent each day. who knows what's going to happen. >> public care, confidence numbers, spending, any relationship to the fiscal cliff at five. >> i don't know. i just don't know. i think anecdotally, from what i have been able to observe, no. but i can't speak for that. the journal today has the lead stories of consumer spending starting so slow. and in part, they cite the fiscal cliff. i think if you were out there, you would get answers that would not necessarily describe it correctly. >> it's a shame it's called fiscal cliff. and called radical tax increase. it was meant to cause a recession. the government felt in its infinite wisd
cliff and how they'll do their part to rise above partisan politics and reach a deal. now, there are some bowles comments. 40%, yeah, but the odds are much better. they're still 35% chance it will not happen. it's not exactly confidence building. >> not necessarily confidence building. always interesting to me how people can put percentage chances on anything like this. seeing how difficult it is and how the story changes to a certain steextent each day. who knows what's going to happen....
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be optimistic and rise above, we deal with the fiscal cliff, then the fiscal abyss. the fed keeps us sort of above stall speed and then we do some structural things, would that work? >> that's -- joe, that's exactly what we're all hoping for. we hope that republicans and democrats, the congress, the administration, can enact bold structural reforms to make the economy more growth oriented. and you know, live within our means. manage our budgets. if we can do that, then the fed is building a bridge to the congress. >> you talking about the congress? >> pardon me? >> live within our means and manage our budgets? are you talking about the congress? >> well, you know, we've done it in the past. we can all be very bearish on our political system. but our political system over the long-term works. republicans and democrats have come together before, have made tough choices. if we can do it again, then bernanke's actions are not going to be for naught. they're going to be buying time for leaders in washington to take over. but if leaders in washington don't take over, then
be optimistic and rise above, we deal with the fiscal cliff, then the fiscal abyss. the fed keeps us sort of above stall speed and then we do some structural things, would that work? >> that's -- joe, that's exactly what we're all hoping for. we hope that republicans and democrats, the congress, the administration, can enact bold structural reforms to make the economy more growth oriented. and you know, live within our means. manage our budgets. if we can do that, then the fed is building...
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Dec 13, 2012
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to avoid the fiscal cliff. the speaker set to given a update out state of negotiations with the white house in two hours. we will bring brink that to you live t did the mark it's job to deal of what happened with ben bernanke's comments and now the target in terms of tying interest rates to unemployment, which is a very new and big development for the fed. >> cnbc is talking over and over again, 2 million jobs to be lost, not if but when we go over the cliff. ben bernanke is listening to what this network is saying, recognizing there is going to be a dram mat hillsborough county job loss if we go over the cliff that is force austerity, that is firing people. look at spain when they got serious. italy. it meant a lot of firings. he says i see what we are going to do follow these countries that have fiscal responsibility a lot of people are going to be fired. don't worry, i'm going to do my best. what what are you going to do to keep people employed? >> keeping the heat on congress, came up a number of times, of
to avoid the fiscal cliff. the speaker set to given a update out state of negotiations with the white house in two hours. we will bring brink that to you live t did the mark it's job to deal of what happened with ben bernanke's comments and now the target in terms of tying interest rates to unemployment, which is a very new and big development for the fed. >> cnbc is talking over and over again, 2 million jobs to be lost, not if but when we go over the cliff. ben bernanke is listening to...
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first of all, we talk about the fiscal cliff all the time. we know it's a big deal. but maybe there are some signs that it's an even bigger deal at this point. there's a story on the money section of the "usa today" talking about investors peering over the cliff at this point. the markets have kind of hung in. now there is this concern that if there's not some sort of movement, or some signs of movement pretty quickly, maybe the market also react. and then there's also the story on the front page of "the wall street journal" talking about how consumer spending is finally showing some signs of cracks. now we know that when first -- we first saw things starting out right after thanksgiving it was pretty strong sales. now the reports have been more mixed. on friday there was a preliminary measure of consumer sentiment from the university of michigan that showed a big drop after four months of gains. i can't help but wonder if that's because of all the coverage of the fiscal cliff and how much it plays into the news media. at this point maybe that's a sign for washington
first of all, we talk about the fiscal cliff all the time. we know it's a big deal. but maybe there are some signs that it's an even bigger deal at this point. there's a story on the money section of the "usa today" talking about investors peering over the cliff at this point. the markets have kind of hung in. now there is this concern that if there's not some sort of movement, or some signs of movement pretty quickly, maybe the market also react. and then there's also the story on...
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Dec 7, 2012
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if the fiscal cliff has you nervous, this may be some relaxing news. as of midnight last night, washington is now the first state in the united states to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, but the law is not without complications. jane wells is live in l.a. with more on that story. good morning, jane. >> hi, carl. lighting up in seattle is one thing. figuring out how these laws are going to work is another. pot possession may be legal in washington, but it will be another year before the state sets up the bureaucracy, creating a network of legal growers and retailers. they're going to have to set standards for thc. but what about pricing? the state is hoping to raise $600 million a year for pot and they say it could add 5% to gross state product by 2017. but ktlu reports the state's office of finance management says retail prices and medical pot clinics are already $3er gram higher than street prices and you add in taxes. are people going to pay more if they can get it for less. and in colorado, its pot law goes into effect next month but t
if the fiscal cliff has you nervous, this may be some relaxing news. as of midnight last night, washington is now the first state in the united states to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, but the law is not without complications. jane wells is live in l.a. with more on that story. good morning, jane. >> hi, carl. lighting up in seattle is one thing. figuring out how these laws are going to work is another. pot possession may be legal in washington, but it will be another year...
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Dec 11, 2012
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when it comes to the looming fiscal cliff crisis that could be a good thing. in 21 days we go over that cliff and four days to get a deal done before they head to christmas break. drastic tax hikes and spending cuts loom. cnn political reporter shannon travis jones us live from washington. what are you hearing? >> well, we're hearing that the negotiations are continuing, zoraida. exactly what those negotiations contain, what's actually happening in them, we're unclear of. so we know that president obama and house speaker john boehner had that one-on-one meeting on sunday, it was their first since mid-november. discussions have continued but, again, very light on details. both sides yesterday put out statements from a public and then from the white house. very light on details. i'll read just one of them for you. quote, discussions with the white house are taking place but we have no detail to share about the substance of those conversations. the republican offer made last week remains the republican offer and we continue to wait for the president to identify t
when it comes to the looming fiscal cliff crisis that could be a good thing. in 21 days we go over that cliff and four days to get a deal done before they head to christmas break. drastic tax hikes and spending cuts loom. cnn political reporter shannon travis jones us live from washington. what are you hearing? >> well, we're hearing that the negotiations are continuing, zoraida. exactly what those negotiations contain, what's actually happening in them, we're unclear of. so we know that...